Cameroon's Biya returns to Yaoundé after two-month absence abroad
President Paul Biya returned to Cameroon on Thursday after over two months abroad, ending a period of uncertainty over his health and the country's leadership.
Cameroon's President Paul Biya has returned to the capital, Yaoundé, after an absence of more than two months that had sparked widespread concern about his health and raised questions about who was running the country.
Biya, 93, arrived at Nsimalen International Airport on Thursday aboard a flight from Geneva, Switzerland. He was seen waving from the back seat of a car as his motorcade left the airport, where crowds of supporters had gathered to welcome him.
The president left Cameroon on June 7 for what his office described as a brief private stay in Europe. The trip turned into his longest known absence from the country since he took office in 1982, making him the world's oldest sitting president.
His government later confirmed he was in Geneva. Biya has long faced speculation about his health, as he frequently spends extended periods in Europe, including in France and Switzerland. Those absences have often fueled questions about who exercises authority in his absence.
His return comes two days after a gold mine collapse near Cameroon's border with the Central African Republic killed more than 100 people, including Cameroonian miners. It also follows a victory for Cameroon's women's soccer team, which won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Sunday, beating Malawi 3-0 in the final.
Biya began his eighth term in November after winning a widely disputed presidential election in October.